Land Reform: What Scotland Wants – The Results of Scotland’s Big Land Question

Land reform is a longstanding issue in Scotland, rooted in the country’s distinctive history of land ownership and concentrated estate control. As political parties prepare for the 2026 Holyrood election, there is growing interest in understanding what the people of Scotland think about ownership and the role of government in shaping the country’s land system.

REVIVE Coalition commissioned the Diffley Partnership to conduct the largest ever independent exploration of public attitudes about land reform in Scotland, known as The Big Land Question.

Carried out over eight months, it uncovered public interest and support for changes in how Scotland’s land is owned and managed, with calls for power to be shifted away from large estates in favour of policies that prioritise local communities, wildlife and the environment.

The methodology was designed to capture both a breadth and depth of perspectives. It included a representative survey of over 2,000 Scottish residents, through an established polling framework, plus expert-moderated focus groups and stakeholder roundtables. This approach provided robust data on public opinion, which is complemented by nuanced qualitative insights to help inform policy.

Consistent patterns emerged across the wide range of engagement, with calls for:

• an end to hidden land ownership, people want transparency about who owns what land
• large landowners to be held more accountable for the way their land is managed
• limits on how much land can be owned by one person or company, to prevent increased concentration of land ownership
• communities given real power over land decisions that affect them
• land reform policies that help deliver more local jobs and housing
• some form of land tax to fund these transformative changes

Participants expressed concerns that the “invisible power” of large landowners is the underlying cause of government inaction. They see this as causing a “vicious circle”, and noted the complexity of legal and financial frameworks and the cost of land as some of the key barriers to land reform.

The Big Land Question found that Scottish residents see land reform as an important cross-cutting issue; and one that underpins other economic and social problems. The research identified a strong appetite for fair rules and more accountability for landowners.

The findings of the Big Land Question were presented at the REVIVE Coalition’s National Conference on 8th November 2025. 

You can read the report here.